Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!agate!eos!brody
From: brody@eos.UUCP (Adam Brody)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Unmanned shuttle capability?
Summary: Shuttle lands manually
Message-ID: <1953@eos.UUCP>
Date: 18 Nov 88 16:48:01 GMT
References: <350@igor.Rational.COM> <3fbd9d8c.124cb@dl124cb.engin.umich.edu>
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, California
Lines: 11


Although the space shuttle has full capability for automatic landing, it has
always been landed manually.  One time in automatic mode, the shuttle made
an abrupt move that startled the pilot endough to take over control.  Later
analysis confirmed that the computer was correct.  The reason for manual controlis more political than technological.  "Pilots want to Fly!"  The fact that
the Soviet shuttle landed automatically lends further support to the fact that
it is possible.  They also rendezvous and dock automatically while we again 
plan manual control for more or less the same reasons.  It is very interesting
that a country who is so far behind us technologically (although so far ahead
of us in space) can do something so sophisticated as land (and dock) 
automatically when we can't (or won't as I maintain).